Wednesday, August 27, 2008

What I’ve written about lately that I haven’t posted:My favorite comicsWhy Frederic Wetham could be more important to you than you knowMy first (and last) scrapbooking experienceTempeh Chickenless WingzHow quiet my life is when my husband goes away (the phone rang 3 times in one week…that is all. Three times.)What I’ve been reading, watching and doing lately.

But…um…yeah. Not really done with any of those yet. There were some lemon cupcakes a few weeks ago because I found some lemons in the office kitchen. Don’t know where they came from though. I’ve read some books. I…um…watched some new tv shows…

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

It wasn’t really a sad lunch, more like a weird lunch because it was all stuff I more or less wanted to eat, but not all together. But I was feeling particularly lazy and I didn’t want to walk to the store. I guess I should have. But because I didn’t it was peach soy yoghurt with a fresh peach mixed in and some hummus and pretzel thins. It doesn’t seem very balanced does it? But it’s got a fair amount of protein and fiber I think. It was a lot of creamy stuff though, but without any cream. Kind of like a baby food lunch.

Here’s the problem. The husband left town. Usually that means a week of vegetarian goodness over here. In fact, this time it was going to mean a week of premade, delivered fresh vegan goodness. I was gonna order my meals from a fresh food delivery service, just to see what it was like. But the menu for this week was…eh (OH! next week it looks really good! Tofu Chilaquiles and Korean Chapchae! Quinoa salad! With cranberries! Darn.) And I got sidetracked and that’s how I found myself in a crowded Whole Foods last night, running into comic-con friends and searching for an appealing soup for dinner (veggie) but I neglected to look for lunch. Ah well. Maybe I will make my own Tofu Chilaquiles for dinner.

Sorry, anyway…pin-up, because I really have nothing of interest to say.

This is the second in the set and she is called Seduction of Innocent. Now, there is kind of a joke here, which, if you are not a huge nerd, may just sweep on by you. That’s ok. It was aimed at the nerds.

In 1954, this guy Frederic Wertham, a psychiatrist wrote a book titled Seduction of the Innocent, which postulated that comics were a cause of juvenile delinquency. To be fair, that’s a simplification of the whole thing, but all you need to know for this picture is that comics caused kids to do naughty things. There’s actually a lot of interesting stuff connected with both the book and with Wertham, who aside from some strange ideas on comics, was a pretty interesting guy. But the pin-up, not really meant to be any real social commentary, just a nekkid girl with comics.

What did cause a little buzz around this picture (and I mean little buzz, like three people’s worth) was the bruise on her leg. See, when I was drawing her, I was trying to go a little bit against the pin-up type. See the glasses? The sneakers? The comics? And most pin-up girls have flawless skin, right? Well, this one has a bruise…on her calf. Which some people saw as her knee. And then took to some unintended extremes. So…whatever. She’s a nerdy girl who loves the Batdude and Hellguy, what more do you need?

Friday, August 15, 2008

I’ve been meaning to show you one of my pin-ups for a while now. They were quite a treat and a revelation for me. I have always avoided drawing people because…well…they just never end up looking like people. Not to my satisfaction anyway. I sometimes will draw distorted cartoony children because hey, if their heads are too big, well who is gonna complain about that? But pin-ups are a whole other thing. And oddly, I kind of dreaded drawing them, even as I knew it was something I had wanted to do for some time now. So, here is “Dead Sexy” the first of the four pin-ups. I actually sold more prints of her than any of the others and one girl even bought one and came back the next day for another. She told me she had ended up giving hers away and wanted another. She also told me that she had shown it to a friend who was a pin-up artist who had commented that it was “demure” and not too gory or disturbing, which made me happy since that was exactly what I was going for.

In the end, I was very pleased with all the pin-ups and I discovered that I really, really enjoyed doing them. I am planning on another set of four girls and I think I am even going to try a few pin-up guys. Any requests?

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Waffles to pancakes.Cake to pie.Comedy to drama.Mystery to romance.French fried to mashed.Iced tea to iced coffee.65 to 85.Reggae to rap.70’s rock to 90’s rock.Indie to super hero.Batman to Superman.Mac to PC.Compact to SUV.Dimes to nickels.Black to blue.Chocolate to vanilla (except when used as icing).Paperback to hardback.(Mass market to trade).Email to phone calls.Bo to Luke.Cats to lizards.Soy milk to cow’s milk.Blueberries to blackberries.Left to right.Ballpoint to felt tip, no matter how much I think I don’t.Warm to cold.Firm to soft.Outcasts to underdogs.CD to mp3.Satchel to handbag.Barefoot to shod.Rain to snow.Orange-flavored to oranges.Victorian to Mid Century.Digital to analog.Aisle to window.Cast iron to Teflon.Plastic to glass.Raised to cake.Dark to milk.The 9th to the 10th.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Movies watched recently:30 Days of Night-Eh. I liked the first half hour. The rest was…eh.Most of Sydney White-Surprisingly cute. Something that I could show my mom and not be embarrassed by.Brick-V. v. good. My brother told me it was and he was right. Not that I doubted him. Minimal. Very minimal. Very clever. Very good.The Dark Knight-Good. I liked it. It was quite nerve-wracking but good. Still, and this comes from someone who only likes movies where stuff gets blown up or ears get cut off…it was slightly over the top for me. Possibly only because when you have Batman, you have kids, and I don’t think this is appropriate for any one under…let’s say…12. So, you know, be careful.Please Don’t Eat the Daisies-I don’t know if I had ever seem all of this before but I do love me some Doris Day and David Niven. The Namesake-Oh Kal Penn. You are so cute. But…no. I like the book quite a lot but the movie? No. Not so much. Well, to be fair...good actors, bad retelling.

Books Purchased for self:When Twilight Burns By Colleen GleasonColleen has a blog here. You should read it, she is very entertaining.

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin ColferArtemis Fowl: The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer

I don’t know if Eoin Colfer has a blog. I imagine he does. I should go look….no, I don’t see one. He does have a website though. And he’s very entertaining as well. And I like the way he’s been writing lately. Well, I like the way he writes but I recently read “Half Moon Investigations” and it struck me as one of the first non Gossip Girl type books that was really using technology the way kids use technologly. Texting and video and the like. China Mieville did this too in that book he wrote…um…Un-lon-don. I like that idea. That the actual uses of video on cell phones and you tube are starting to filter into books.

All Wrapped Up! Groovy Gift Wrap of the 1960s by Kevin Akers

Kevin Akers has a website here. I don’t know Kevin Akers but I intend to email him and tell him how very much I do indeed enjoy this book. It’s lovely.

Getting it Right with Type: The Do’s and Don’ts of Typography by Victoria Squire

I haven’t read this yet. I skimmed it and I was slightly disappointed (not by you, Victoria Squire) because I think it may be more basic than I was hoping for. Typography is hard. Hard, I tell you!

Art of Modern Rock Mini #2: Poster Girls by Dennis King

I am hoping that this book will be inspiration for some more pin-up girl illos from me. We’ll see. I did discover an artist that I like but didn’t know his name. Unfortuantely, I don’t have the book with me and I still don’t know his name.

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen CoraceCute. Slight. Simple. It’s a nice book. Buy it for a kid.

I Completely Must Do Drawing Now and Painting and Coloring by Lauren ChildDo you know Charlie and Lola? I love Charlie and Lola. This is a Charlie and Lola book. It’s not here yet, but I am looking forward to seeing it.

Drop Dead Cute by Ivan Vartanian (postcard book)It was cheaper than the book, so I thought I’d start small.

Summer Knight by Jim ButcherJim Butcher was at Comic-Con, promoting his new comic with the Dabel Brothers. I didn’t see him. Or the comic for that matter. I would have liked to see him. Not so sure about the comic.

Books Purchased for others:Comic Book Tattoo by Tori Amos and a lot of artists (two copies)The Cricket in Times Square by George SeldenChester Cricket's Pigeon Ride by George SeldenHarry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George SeldenDinosaur's Binkit by Sandra Boynton Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne A Treasury of Curious George by Margret Rey Baby Signs by Joy Allen Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Meserve Kunhardt

I don’t think the people from whom some of these books are meant to surprise read this blog, but um…if you do…SURPRISE!

What I had for lunch:2 slices portobello mushroom pizza

Regrets I have:Eating portobello mushroom pizza

…and drinking soda.

Cookies within reach that I will not eat because I ate portobello mushroom pizza:White chocolate chip and pecanOatmeal chocolate chipGluten and egg free chocolate chip button cookies

What I am making for dinner:Gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard with garlic, crushed red peppers and olive oil, NO CHEESE! In the name of all that is holy! NO CHEESE!

(EDIT: There will be no gnocci with chicken, mushrooms and swiss chard for dinner. There will be only soup.)

OH OH! Christmas presents purchased:ONE! Yay!

Oh dear. I am listening to a random opera podcast of Robert Merrill and he just started singing “Ohhhhh sweet mystery of life at last I’ve found you….” that’s just made my day.

And next time I say the word “pizza” could you just punch me in the stomach? Same effect but much quicker.